Behavioral aspects of epilepsy in children with mental retardation.

Epilepsy and mental retardation, two relatively common childhood conditions, are both associated with a wide range of behavioral disorders. This article reviews the behavioral disturbances found in children with epilepsy, mental retardation, and both conditions. The behavioral disturbances found in children with epilepsy are associated with seizure-related, cognitive, developmental, and psychosocial factors. Although children with mental retardation also demonstrate a broad spectrum of behavioral disturbances, children with specific mental retardation syndromes have better-defined patterns of psychopathology. The presence of epilepsy and mental retardation seems to increase the severity of psychopathology. Further studies are needed, however, to define better the interaction of these two conditions and how they impact the behavior of children.